A bloated male rat and a thin trapper.

Customer Rat Email: Hi. I was wondering if you could shed some light... I had samples of sunbutter (very similar to peanut butter but made with sunflowers) in a drawer in the kitchen. They were made with flexible plastic like GoGurts or freezer pops.... I opened the drawer this morning and many were "chewed" or "scratched" open leaving tiny pieces of the plastic wrapping in the drawer....I thought immediately MICE!!! oh no.. BUT NO feces or urine in the drawer, under the drawer, in the cabinet under the drawer, along the walls, under fridge, stove ANYWHERE.... They thing that did this was there a while to get through five of them (not alot of the spread was gone though). My experience seeing a situation like this (usually by a mouse) there would be droppings and even urine spots... Could a mouse have done all this and left NO droppings anywhere???? What do you think? I also have a dog that leaves her food out for the day before eating....no droppings in that room either... A pure mystery for me... thanks, Karen

My Answer: That is odd... I don't know what else might chew open a package. Maybe it was mice that didn't have to go to the bathroom.

Customer Answer: Hi, I still have NOT found droppings (still bizarre to me-and I DO KNOW what the tiny rice shape poops look like) BUT I started to rearrange a lower cabinet and powdered rice milk nibbled through, rice powder, confectionate sugar too. (all under the drawer that had the sunbutter...) Should I set some snap traps? Even though I have no droppings? Thanks, Karen

If you need rodent control services in your hometown, click for the National Directory of Rat Trappers that I've carefully compiled in every USA city.

Click to go back to my full rat removal photo gallery. Visit my rat removal journal blog! Lots of great rat stories!

There are three kinds of rodents commonly found inside buildings (in the attics, walls, and even inside the living space). They are the Roof Rat (Rattus rattus), which is also called the Black Rat, then there's the Norway Rat (Rattus norvegicus), also known as the Brown Rat, and the House Mouse (Mus musculus). Roof Rats are more common in the south, such as Florida, where I work. The above photo is of a Roof Rat. They are very common inside attics. The Norway Rat is more common in the northern section of the United States. The Norways are more commonly found underground, in subways and sewers and such. The House Mouse is found everywhere, but seems more common in the north. All of these rodents thrive in urban areas and love to live in human buildings and houses. They use human garbage (and pantries) as sources of food. All of these rodents are carriers of several diseases that can infect humans and pets. They contaminate homes and attics. The only way to permanently solve a rat problem is to find out how the rodents are gaining access to the inside of the building, and fix those openings. Then the remaining rats inside have to be trapped and removed. If you want to learn more, please read my How To Get Rid of Rats page.

AAAnimal Control is a privately owned wildlife removal and pest control business, located in Orlando Florida. I deal strictly with wild animals such as rats. I am not an extermination company, but a critter removal and control specialist. The above photos are some of the many that I've taken in the field over my years of work. Please email me if you have any questions about the above photographs, or any questions about wildlife problems or rat control issues.

Wildlife Photographs by David     Email me with questions: david@aaanimalcontrol.com     Residential & Commercial     Licensed & Insured